But whatever the reason why I was not told his name, for the next two years "the new guy" was as close as I could get to a moniker for this man. No matter how hard I tried, I could not hear the whole sound of the keyboardist's name that Wakin pronounced during his concert band member intros. Nor could any of the fans I knew tell me what his name was either! Is that frustrating or what?!!   

Finally my fortunes improved in March of 2003, thanks to everyone's favorite "Blue Violinist," Lee Chi. After Wakin's March 29 Kuala Lumpur concert, I simply summoned the courage to approach and ask Lee Chi the name of the unknown keyboardist, who happened to be standing a short distance away.

Grinning in obvious amusement, Lee Chi Laoshi secretively whispered to me his bandmate's name, and then he asked "But how come you know MY name?" Well, I'd clearly heard Wakin announce it many times in concert recordings. And I'd even more clearly heard all of the fans around me scream it — “LEEEEEE CHIIIIII!” — during the several live shows I'd attended, including the one that just took place. "Your name is a cinch!" I assured him.

Don't you think so too?

A nice fansite dedicated to this virtuoso violinist is ChiLee Blue

I returned to Japan quite delighted with my discovery, and it was just in time to start the ball rolling on an ambitious new undertaking with the Taiwan and Singapore Baiyou, jointly creating the special Gee-3 Nations' Band Members Project that our websites proudly display. You can imagine how very happy I was to write the real name of "the new guy" in that June 2003 feature, after I'd been in the dark for two years!

So by the time of Wakin's August "karaoke" concert at Tamshui Fisherman's Wharf on Chinese Valentine's Day, I thought that I might get a chance to greet the new guy by his rightful name. But he and his colleagues were not there to play at Tamshui that day, since they'd gone to a gig in Hong Kong. They returned to town soon afterward, though, and during the amazing week that I spent in Taipei, an opportunity arose to enjoy a casual chat at Wakin's Kitchen with Tu Yin Laoshi.

During our conversation, I was intrigued as he described in good English his upbringing and interests. But then I asked how he'd met Wakin Chau .....

..... And with a sigh he replied, a slight whine in his voice: "I'm NOT the new guy!"

Fortunately, I kept my cool. I did not blurt out "It's WAKIN'S fault!"  I simply explained that the quote was “word-for-word” [the softer way to say that it WAS Wakin's fault — HO-HO-HO], that I hadn't known the truth till he'd told me just then, and that I'd surely take steps to set the record straight!

Which is my humble purpose here.  

Musical Man

Born the son of a schoolteacher in 1963 and raised with his sister in Taipei, Tu Yin (屠穎 tu2 ying3) was enrolled in piano lessons at the tender age of six. As his musical interest and talent grew, he took up the guitar as a second instrument when he was 15 years old. Today he is the only professional musician in his family.

Since he began in the business in the 1980s, Tu Yin Laoshi has become one of the most respected and in-demand song arrangers and keyboard players in the Chinese music industry. In 1990 he won his first Golden Melody Award for Best Arrangement in Taiwan, and he received a second nomination in 2002. In 2003, Tu Yin was presented with the TVB-8 Award for Best Song Arrangement in Hong Kong. That year, he teamed up with the indie production house Everything But The Culture, and he is featured in EBTC's "Maestro Project" of solo artist releases.

The live life: (from left) drummer Dou Zi, keyboardist Jay Hung Xinjie,
guitarist James Ni Fenglai, bassist Joey Guo Zongshao, and keyboardist Max Tu Yin

Any fan of Sino-pop would recognize some titles among the steady stream of successful songs produced in this place, the e-Right production company and studio. It is run by Tu Yin in partnership with his good friends, the renowned keyboardists/song arrangers Hong Xinjie (Jay Hung) [below left], an international artist who recorded Untamable Dreamer  [ Audio Sample (.mp3)]   in 2005 for EBTC's "Maestro Project" (I'm eagerly waiting for his next release!), and Hong Jingyao (Eric Hung) [right], who soloed with his Sleepless Bible  []   under the Rock Records label in 1997 and has enjoyed numerous award nominations and wins over the years. In 2002, the e-Right studio was set up in a public building in Taipei's Nei Hou district, now occupying the 3rd floor and much safer than their first startup that was wrecked in the floods of the great typhoon of 2001. Today, the facility is high and dry and decked out with a fancy Pro Tools digital audio suite and 5-channel surround sound. It's the perfect workspace not only for these three Laoshi's but also for their many musical colleagues.

Seeing such an array of equipment, you might suppose that the e of e-Right stands for the same thing that powers an e-business: electronics (and just the right electronics ). But it's not that easy. In fact, e-Right was chosen for the company's English name since on the one hand it's relatively close in sound to its Chinese name Yi Lai, and on the other hand these pros work hard to make each note just right. What's even more key is that the two characters literally mean "a hundred million rolling in," so it's a name that represents hope for financial success in the music biz as well~!

Master Chef

It takes Tu Yin Laoshi about one day to arrange a song, which he does by computer. First he must understand the direction that the producer wants to take, the characteristics of the artist, and the nature of the song, then he can get to work. As a man who enjoys to cook, he has a recipe for making music also. "The melody is like the food ingredients, and the composer is like a cook," he says. "First washing the vegetables, then cutting them and preparing the ingredients — in such a step-by-step process a song is completed."

I have known Tu ever since he was my junior in high school. I'm very happy that after all these years, we still can perform on the same stage and produce music together. This means that we are all safe and doing things that we truly like. Music is a kind of fate that ties everyone together. I'm thankful and satisfied. I hope Tu will continue his happy life, and best wishes to all friends at Stars Ferry.

 
"A song can express sweet, sour, bitter or spicy," he explains, "through various emotions such as sadness, happiness or love by combining different instruments, the use of chords, and utilizing other methods to convey what is desired."

So, what for him is the most difficult part of the musical recipe to complete? "That is the prelude."

A Small Hobby (Not!)

Although Max Tu Yin Laoshi is by all accounts a completely kind and gentle fellow, he is very much the Macho Biker type. The size of his motorcycle collection has fluctuated up and down, depending on how many his wife won't mind — hoho! He and his convoy of biker buddies, all decked out in their fancy buckled leathers, have a tradition of traveling out to the countryside on jolly overnighters. What a great way to escape the rigors of a musicmaker's life!